Casual Friday: Shoulder Pads

This jacket was purchased in combination with a high-waisted skirt, a dress suit combination; I really enjoyed each piece separately, however, was fully aware that I would never wear the suit ensemble. This small hounds tooth pattern coupled with the bold structure of the jacket, featuring broad shoulder pads, an asymmetrical button clasp, wide lapels, black detailing, and silver buttons, would be too ostentatious and silly looking, frankly. Although a nontraditional cut, I envisioned this jacket pairing perfectly with denim, allowing the strong detailing to emerge as fun and funky, and not bizarre in a forced formal setting.

The jacket lapels morph and meld with the shoulder, and do not encircle the neck in a proper collar. This jacket, along with the matching high-waisted hounds tooth skirt, look as though they could have been salvaged from some city vintage shop, but I actually discovered the look rummaging through the sales rack of my favorite local TJ Maxx, for a mere 30$. Again, I recognize the potentially dated but fun look of the jacket, but the skirt is actually very versatile and is sure to become an office look staple, coupled with crisp white button-downs and black cardigans.

These buttons appear dark bronze, due to a reflection of the camera flash; they are actually a chrome-like clean silver.

To play off the silver accent buttons, I chose some black and silver earrings and a rippled, almost water surface wide silver cuff for accessories. I completed the look with dark cigarette cut ankle jeans and some basic black ballet flats, in suede, with a slight kitten wedge. Perhaps, these jeans can be leveraged into an evening event, some beer and a much needed medium-rare hamburger with the filmmaker, as a sort of clothing pull-through strategy; I am only being mildly facetious. Clearly, my mind has been tainted with too much marketing jargon as of late.

Friday afternoon office soundtrack: "Kelly Watch the Stars" and " Surfing on a Rocket" Air; "Stroker Ace" and "To Catch a Thief" Lovage; "Thieves Like Us (instrumental)," "Love Vigilantes," and "Age of Consent" New Order; "Birthday" Junior Boys; "Strict Machine" Goldfrapp; "Silence" and "The Rip" Portishead